Letter from Kate Pike

Layers of Stitch

We began the new year with a very interesting session led by Brenda and Fran from Project Linus, who are local organisers of this organisation providing quilts and comforters for sick babies and vulnerable children. Thanks to Sue and her group, they went away with 19 extra quilts (and they were lovely!) and the promise of more to come.

Joy Kitchen has kindly offered to be coordinator for any more quilts which may appear at the next two meetings (February and March), and she will take them to Project Linus in the Sleaford area for us. Sue also

has a knitting pattern for a stillborn baby’s wrap with hood, if anyone is interested in making these or knitting and donating premature and newborn size hats, cardigans, mittens, bootees or blankets, which go via Sue to Peterborough Maternity Unit.

Michele and Ros went to a Christmas ‘bring and share’ lunch meeting in December at the Lincolnshire branch in Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln, and came back with information about how they will be organising the Embroiderers’ Guild stand in the Flower Tent at the Lincolnshire Show in June. I still need to clarify a few points with them, but we are hoping to do some stewarding during those two days, with free or reduced entry for those who do.

The backdrop to the stand will be garden trellis and in our committee, it was decided that any members who would like to contribute a stitched piece (these will not be for sale) on a Horticultural theme, these will be exhibited in the round wooden frames they are stitched on, frames not larger than 6 inches in diameter. That way, we hope to have quite a number of pieces on our piece of trellis. More details, if you need them, at the February meeting.

I now have the exhibition ‘tree’, in pieces, from Grantham Museum, and I will bring all the triangles to the February meeting in order to disperse them back to their makers.

At the next meeting, February 7^th,we shall have mini-workshops, beginning to make items to sell on the table of the Lincolnshire Show stand. ( Items priced up to £20 are the guidelines we have been given.)

Sue has some small embroidered brooch ideas, and will bring the requisites, and I have Tina’s permission to use her flower brooch pattern – Tina did this with us as a workshop whilst we were still at Stitchcraft! and we have now been at the Tennis Club for two years – so I will bring instructions, templates and some fabrics. If you have leftover pretty bits of cotton of your own, please bring to use.

The basic flower is made from a 12cm diameter circle of fabric x 5 – but these can be smaller or larger – this should give you an idea of the size of fabric needed for one flower. You will need toning thread, and we will supply felt for the backing, and brooch pins. There will be some beads for embellishment.

We shall also be making lavender bags; there are some heart-shaped pieces of fabric already cut, ready for sewing, but again, you may have pieces you can use, and they do not necessarily need to be hearts! And we shall need bits of ribbon to hang them on. There will also be some lavender and filling available.

Other ideas may be perhaps handmade notebooks, or small bags for a mobile phone, or similar; some of these could be embroidered. You may also have other ideas of your own.

If you do not wish to do any of these, do bring your own stitching and be sociable.

We are looking for a logo, or even several logos, which can be used on our blog, on flyers, and other publicity, which will immediately identify us by its format, and can be used incorporating our rather long name – LAYERS OF STITCH, EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD GRANTHAM.

It can be any piece of embroidery, from which we might use a small detail, and can be any shape, round, egg-shaped, rectangular, or whatever. This is to be your challenge for the next few months, with entries to be in at the April meeting, and judging will take place after Easter. There will be no prizes, just the kudos of having your piece of stitch as a logo for the branch.

Happy stitching!

I look forward to another productive meeting, and to seeing you all on 7^th February.

Kate.